This homemade sriracha sauce recipe is more like the original Thai recipe, so much better than anything from the grocery store, and can be made with fresh or fermented peppers. Time to make sriracha hot sauce!
Homemade Sriracha Sauce Recipe
It's Homemade Sriracha Sauce time, my friends, so get your taste buds ready. I don't think there is a whole lot I can tell you about sriracha sauce that you haven't already heard.
Sriracha has taken the nation by storm in the last several years, overflowing from grocery store shelves and finding its way into a myriad of mass-made products, from potato chips to beer.
It's everywhere, isn't it?
It's so ubiquitous now here in the states, it's practically become synonymous with the term "hot sauce". This is not a bad thing! I should provide a bit of history, though.
What is Sriracha?
Famous “Sriracha” sauce is named after the town of “Sri Racha” in Thailand where it originated, but this is not what we consume here in the United States.
The stuff you get from the store is produced in California with red jalapeno peppers and has deviated quite a bit from the original Thai recipe.
The sriracha sauce we get here is thick, like ketchup, where the original has a thinner consistency.
My recipe will produce a Sriracha sauce closer to what was originally intended, though you can easily thicken it up with more peppers and less vinegar, or by adjusting your cooking times.
Best Peppers for Making Sriracha Sauce
Here in the United States, red jalapeno peppers are used to make sriracha sauce, though bright red Fresno chili peppers make a fine substitute. You can also use red Thai chili peppers to make your own sriracha hot sauce, which have more heat on the Scoville Scale.
Of course the heat level of your sriracha sauce can vary based on your pepper choice, but some peppers have thicker walls and are therefore meatier, and will produce a fuller sauce.
I suggest going with red jalapeno peppers first, then experimenting from there.
For this particular batch, I used a combination of different hot red peppers grown in my garden, including red jalapeno peppers, and the results were out of this world.
Let's talk about how to make homemade sriracha, shall we?
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 1/13/25 to include new notes and clarify instructions. It was originally published on 10/6/17.
Sriracha Sauce Ingredients
- Chili Peppers. Use a mix of red chili peppers, Red jalapenos are preferred, though Fresnos or red Thai peppers are great.
- Garlic. I love the garlic flavor. Garlic powder can be used, but fresh garlic is best.
- Brown Sugar. For the characteristic sweetness.
- Granulated Sugar. Additional sweetness.
- Rice Wine Vinegar. Other distilled vinegar can be used.
- Water and Salt.
How to Make Sriracha Sauce - the Recipe Method
Chop the Peppers. Roughly chop the chili peppers and add them to a pot with the remaining ingredients - sugar, salt, vinegar, garlic, water.
Simmer the Ingredients. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Process the Sriracha Sauce. Cool, then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
Strain and Bottle. Strain the solids out through a strainer and discard (or keep them for dehydrating – they make great seasonings). Pour into bottles and use as desired.
This is the simple fresh pepper version, though I suggest fermenting, which is more like the original Thai sriracha.
Fermenting the peppers breaks down the carbohydrates and converts them to acid, which mellows the peppers considerably, affecting the overall flavor. I suggest trying the recipe both ways, with and without fermenting, and see for yourself which version of sriracha you prefer.
I've include recipes below to make sriracha both ways.
For your reference, you may find this link useful: How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash.
Homemade Sriracha Vs. Store Bought Sriracha Sauce
There is an obvious difference between the sriracha you get from the store vs. your homemade version. The homemade sriracha has a thinner consistency and isn't quite as sweet, though you can adjust sweetness easily by adding more or less sugar.
You can also adjust the thickness of your final sriracha sauce by adjusting the amount of peppers used in the recipe, by adjusting the amount of vinegar and water used, and also by adjusting your cooking time. Simmer the sauce longer to thicken it up if you'd like.
The choice is yours. Would I say homemade sriracha is BETTER than what you get in the store?
Personally, I like my own homemade version better, but I wouldn't throw away my bottle of Huy Fong Food's rooster sauce! I mean, major KUDOS to David Tran for giving us a sauce that made Americans realize there is more to condiments than ketchup and mustard.
Bring on the sriracha, please!
What is a Substitute for Sriracha Sauce?
If you run out of sauce and need a good siracha sauce substitute, you can use Garlic-Chili Sauce, or consider using Gochujang, Sambal Oelek, or making your own fresh chili paste.
Harissa could work in a pinch, but you can always use a Louisiana Style Hot Sauce in place of the sriracha, depending on the recipe.
Recipe Tips and Notes for Making Homemade Sriracha
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
How long will this sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors.
If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage? Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
Where'd you get that sauce bottle?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4
. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack
.
Learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
Check out Some of My Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes:
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce
- Fermented Serrano Hot Sauce
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice - Haitian Creole Hot Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Homemade Cocktail Sauce
- Honey-Sriracha Sauce
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes.
Try Some of these Recipes that Use Sriracha
- Grilled Salmon with Honey-Sriracha Sauce
- Korean Chicken
- Creamy Tortellini Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- Honey-Sriracha Chicken
- Easy Hoisin Sauce
- Sriracha Substitute - for if you've run out of sriracha. Gasp!
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Homemade Sriracha Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
FOR FERMENTED SRIRACHA SAUCE
- 2 pounds mixed red chili peppers (red jalapenos are preferred, though Fresnos or red Thai peppers are great)
- 4 cups unchlorinated water
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
SRIRACHA SAUCE WITH FRESH PEPPERS
- 2 pounds mixed red chili peppers (red jalapenos are preferred, though Fresnos or red Thai peppers are great)
- 1/2-4 cups unchlorinated water (Use only 1/2 cup for a thicker sriracha sauce. Use 4 cups for a much thinner sriracha, which is more traditional)
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Instructions
FERMENTED SRIRACHA SAUCE
- First, ferment the chili peppers. Process your fresh peppers in a food processor. If you don’t have a processor, use a mortar and pestle or simply finely chop them. Pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
- Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases - watch out for splatter. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. The peppers must be submerged beneath the water to avoid mold growth. If the peppers aren't submerged, they might not ferment properly.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- Strain the fermented peppers but retain the brine. Add the peppers to a large pot along with garlic, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vinegar. Add 1 cup of the brine PLUS 1/2-3 cups fresh water, depending on desired thickness (see Notes). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids, if desired. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
SRIRACHA SAUCE WITH FRESH PEPPERS
- Roughly chop the chili peppers and add them to a pot with the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a quick boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool, then add to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
- Strain the solids out through a fine mesh strainer, if desired, and discard (or keep them for dehydrating – they make great seasonings). Pour into bottles and use as desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Lee says
Why does the fermented recipe call for more brown sugar than the fresh chili version?
Mike Hultquist says
Lee, you can use 1 tablespoon, or more to taste. I made an update to make this more clear.
Lee says
Thanks Mike. Fermenting just finished so going to give this a whirl today 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Lee!
Justine says
I have not yet tried this. I have a question before I start. Is there a benefit to fermenting versus fresh?
Mike Hultquist says
Justine, the original is fermented. Fermentation offers a different flavor, but also probiotic benefits, provided you don't cook the sauce at the end. Making it with fresh peppers is much easier, delicious in its own way.
Greg says
When you use Fermented Peppers, is it just for a different taste and texture? Because as soon as you heat up any fermentation, you loose the probiotics that was created during the fermentation.
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, for flavor. You don't have to cook it if you don't want to in order to keep the probiotic benefits. Thanks, Greg.
Danny says
my whole family loves this. I even made it with green peppers and it was great also
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Danny!
Teri says
Tomorrow is day 7 of my fermentation. Today, I saw white dots on the top of the jar. Mold? I managed to remove most of it. I don't have a proper kit. I used a plastic lid and a bag of water to hold it down. It still smells and tastes great. Should I start processing with the vinegar, et al, immediately?
Mike Hultquist says
The white spots were likely kahm yeast, which is harmless. If it was fuzzy, that's not good, but if you scraped it all away and it smells and tastes good, I'm sure you're fine. Trust your nose.
Richard says
What if you can’t smell will just looking at it be good enough?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, regarding spoilage in fermentation, look out for any fuzzy growth, which is mold.
Diana says
Can red Serrano peppers be used?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely!
Cherie says
I have a lot of green jalafuego peppers left over. Do I have to use red peppers or is it ok to use green?
Mike H. says
Red jalapeños are simply more mature peppers. You can definitely try it with greens though 😉
Cherie says
Perfect! I wasn’t sure if the red signaled a different acidity or something that would affect the fermentation. I will let you know how it turns out!
Some One says
The green peppers tend to get bitter during fermentation.
Ann says
Is it ok to use green jalafuego peppers(essential hotter and bigger jalapeños)? I have a boatload of them and am worried they will go soft if I try to ripen to red for this recipe?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely! Go for it!
Alex says
Thank you very much for the recipe! My peppers are almost fermented but I can't find rice vinegar anywhere. Can I use just distilled vinegar and if yes what percent of acidity should be?
Thank you.
Mike H. says
No problem, other distilled vinegar can be used equally.
Haleigh says
Hey I started fermenting my chili’s last Saturday, I forgot to burp them for a couple days and when I went to burp them one of the jars exploded on me. Is that jar of chili’s still good to use in my sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
Oh, YIKES, Haleigh. Sorry to hear! Well, if it all exploded, you could potentially wash off the chilies really good and use them, but I couldn't continue to ferment, and would really watch out for glass pieces. UGH, sorry!
Haleigh says
It was just like a volcano, the glass did not break!
Mike Hultquist says
You can clean and move them into other jars, but definitely be sure to be clean.
Haleigh says
Do I just clean them with cold water? A good rinse? There is also some whiteish chunks forming at the top… could they be going bad?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, clean/rinse them best you can, then transfer. If the whitish growth is fuzzy, that's mold, which you do not want.
S Patrick says
Would cayennes work in this recipe? I have an abundance of those, my thai chilis are coming but slower.
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, yes.
Shellee Fecht says
I’m having trouble with fermenting my peppers. I purchased the Ball fermentation kit, but the glass weight ends up submerged about halfway down. Peppers then rise above it. I’ve found a plastic lid which fits it the mouth of the jar & keeps the peppers underneath; however, it looks like some of the peppers have a mold on them. I’ll empty the jar tomorrow & check. In the meantime, I’m going to try the recipe for fresh pepper rather than fermented. There’s a line in that recipe which says the following: “You can also bottle your sauces with proper procedures.” Can you explain what those procedures are? Thanks so much!
Mike Hultquist says
Shellee, see this page as a starter: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/preparing-and-canning-fermented-and-pickled-foods-pickling-safety-information/
Jan Sime says
I am starting my second batch of the fermented Sriracha. I use Serano and some Birds Eys chillis from a batch of seeds I got from a friend in Mocambique.
I reduced the sugar as I love HOT sauce. My friends also love it and hide it from family and kids.
It keeps perfectly in small (50ml) brown bottles with cork tops. We have just started using the last bottle from the batch we made last year. It tastes even better than when it was fresh. Oh yes, I ferment for at least two weeks before I add the vinegar to stop the fermentation.
Mike Hultquist says
I love this! Sounds PERFECT to me, Jan! Thanks for sharing.
Claire says
Have just started this years batch. Always make this around this time of year in the UK, just as all new chillis are begging to be picked. I use up all the frozen chillis I have from last year. Has worked every time. Different heat and taste every year as all depends what chillis I have. Best thing about this sauce is it is so versatile
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds like perfection to me, Claire! I love that you mix it up every year. Just perfect.
Ryan says
Hi Mike,
I assume 7 days to ferment is only a guide post and some sauces will take less days to ferment and some will take more. How do you know when it’s fermented to point I should move on to the next step?
Mike Hultquist says
Ryan, yes, you can go shorter or longer. Often it's when you stop seeing activity, like bubbling, for a couple days. You can still keep going, and it will be more of a quiet ferment, but that's usually a good guide. Enjoy!
Karen says
Hi - what method do you recommend to measure pH? Eager to get about this recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Karen, a good pH meter is best for accuracy. I recommend this pH Meter from Thermoworks: https://www.thermoworks.com/pH-Humidity/pH?tw=CPM (this is my affiliate link, as I am affiliate for their products. I use them all the time.) Let me know how it goes for you.
John Laitala says
Which thermoworks ph meter model do you recommend for a beginner?
Mike Hultquist says
This is a good one, John: https://www.thermoworks.com/waterproof-ph-pen-8680/?tw=CPM
Allan says
Hi Mike, am enjoying your YouTube vids.
Can you wash peppers before fermenting them. I chop my habanero or jalapeños in half and throw them in a sink full of water. This keeps the eyes from watering too much when doing several kg of peppers and as a bonus gets rid of quite a few loose seeds. I wondered if this might remove too much of the natural biome and retard fermentation? The current batch is bubbling away in the fermentation crocks but it seems a little slow. However it’s late autumn here now and nights are cool.
I also wondered if you add fresh unfermented peppers to fermented ones, (in a non cooked sauce); to blend and balance a sauce; do you run the risk of restarting fermentation since you are introducing fresh carbohydrates. I assume the addition of vinegar in the final sauce will inhibit further fermentation plus refrigeration.
Mike Hultquist says
Allan, yes, you can wash the peppers. It shouldn't affect fermentation. Some ferments are very quiet, so it's hard to tell if fermentation is going on. You can often tell by the smell. If you have concerns, you can use a fermentation starter. I know some people who toss fresh peppers into their ongoing ferment. You can do it, but you'll have a mixed batch (not necessarily bad), but each time you open it, you risk infection. Something to consider. Enjoy!
Allan says
I’m having fun fermenting my pepper and chilli harvest, (it’s autumn here in NZ). If I mix red bell peppers with habanero hot chillies in the same fermentation crock will the heat of the habanero migrate to the neutral red bell peppers? I noticed even after one day the brine is spicy. I want to mix in the red bell peppers to temper the heat of the hot chillies in the final sauce, but only have two 5L and one 3L crocks. I’ve got 2kg of jalapeños which sliced in half fit nicely into a 5L crock.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds awesome, Allan. Yes, if you mix the peppers, you'll get the heat from the habaneros for sure. I mix peppers all the time for both heat and flavor combinations. Enjoy!
Allan says
Will cooking the fermented sauce kill the good probiotic bacteria?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, cooking fermented sauce takes away the probiotic benefits, though it does meld flavor and stops fermentation, so there is no worry of your bottles exploding. You do not have to cook the sauce if you don't want to. FYI.
Allan says
Thanks, so I assume to get the right consistency of sauce I want if I don’t simmer it would be to add less of the brine when blending. Would you keep the amount of vinegar the same as the recipe to maintain a good ph?
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, that is correct. You may need to adjust vinegar, but you'll get acidity from the fermentation process, so could be good to measure before vinegar, and add to taste. Enjoy.
James says
I LOVE this recipe. So easy but the result is amazing.
I made mine with very hot birds eye chillies which grow in an abundance in our garden here in sub-tropical Australia. The end result is very, very hot (just the way I like it!). Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Apologies if I’ve missed it in the recipe but can I ask how long it will keep for in a bottle in the fridge?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear, James! Very happy you enjoyed it! It will keep for many months in the refrigerator. Definitely lasts a long time. Enjoy!
Bryan says
Hello Michael
First off, thanks for a terrific site. My go to site for all my pepper information. Tried sriracha for the first time with fermented peppers. Compared it to the store bought brand and there is no comparison. The homemade sauce is fresh and has just the right amount of heat. Made two batches one with rice wine vinegar the other with apple cider vinegar. Two different flavour profiles but, both equally as good. Thanks again for all your efforts.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Bryan! Yes, this is so much better than the store bought stuff, much more authentic. Glad you enjoyed it, and love that you're experimenting with vinegars.